“To work with and to improve quality in health care, we need to be better in defining what outcome we want”, Erik Jylling, Vice executive president, Danish Regions. This may be the most important statement from the HOPE Study Tour that Danish Regions organized in spring 2018. The participants heard of working methods and projects that help define and address the challenges at hand, and discussions on this took place in an open forum meant to advance the exchange of best practices, ideas and challenges, which is the heart of the HOPE Study Tours.

HOPE organises a study tour in Oulu (Finland) on 1 and 2 June 2017 to present the OuluHealth Ecosystem and Oulu University Hospital TestLab. During the study tour, you will have the possibility to understand the way the Healthcare Ecosystem is designed in order to meet the needs and challenges of the future, how the testing laboratory is connected to serve the University Hospital activity, and how the Oulu University Hospital will be renovated by 2030.

PAQS ASBL organized a HOPE Study Tour on Quality and Safety on 4 and 5 May 2017 in Brussels. PAQS ASBL is a newly created organization bringing together most healthcare stakeholders in Brussels and Wallonia with the objective of improving quality and safety in healthcare.

The Hospices Civils de Lyon and the French Hospital Federation organised on 2 and 3 February 2017 a HOPE study tour on Lean Management. This HOPE study tour was an opportunity for European professionals to discover a successful experience of Lean development in public hospitals on site. In addition to meeting a number of management and field staff, this study tour made it possible to understand the contribution of Lean Management in hospitals and to cover the issues raised by its implementation in one of Europe largest university hospital group.

HOPE UK member organised on 29-30 October 2015 a study visit for senior healthcare professionals, managers and policy makers on “Assuring quality in the English NHS”. The English NHS has seen significant reforms in the past 5 years, with an increasing focus on the quality of care provided. This study tour is aimed at clinical and managerial colleagues working in senior operational, policy or strategic roles in other European health systems. The two-day programme will provide delegates with a deeper knowledge of the NHS in England, including how healthcare is purchased and regulated from both a financial, quality and safety perspective. Additionally, there will be a strong focus on the largest component of the workforce in the NHS - its nurses - and how important nurses and nurse leadership is in providing and maintaining quality.

The German Hospital Federation (DKG – Deutsche Krankenhausgesellschaft) organised the study visit “Quality assurance in German hospital care” on 30-31 October 2014 in Berlin. 25 participants coming from 12 EU Member States and Serbia were joining the workshop. Amongst them were representatives from ministries, from hospital organisations as well from hospitals, all being in charge of quality in health- and hospital care within their organisations.

Oulu Healthcare Ecosystem consists in an established model of collaboration combining professionals with different background and experience (health, wellbeing, research, biology, companies and ICT). It represents a unique living lab developing advanced tools and technologies, based in the capital of Northern Finland, the fastest growing Region in the country.

St This study tour showed participants important developments in Belgian and Dutch curative care: the development of an integrated supply of healthcare services in rural regions and some examples of worldwide pioneering innovations.

The Estonian Hospitals Association has organised HOPE fourth study tour for senior hospital professionals and managers on “Health services’ planning and contracting in Estonia” from 20 to 24 October 2009 in Tallinn, Estonia.

A third tour has been organised in April 22-24, 2009 by the Spanish HOPE member on Organ donation. On invitation of the Spanish Ministry of Health and Social Policy and on the initiative of HOPE, ten professionals from Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Malta, Sweden and the United Kingdom have had the opportunity to get information on the national system on organ donation and transplantation. The study tour was a two and a half days visit in Madrid: the Central Office of ONT, meeting with Dr. Matesanz, Director of the Spanish National Transplant Organization (ONT); the regional health authorities of Madrid; the Spanish Health Ministry; and the transplant coordinator offices of different hospitals, Clínico and hospital Infantil La Paz.

In 2008, HOPE has organised for the first time a study tour for senior hospital professionals and managers. HOPE Finnish member accepted to initiate this first study visit, which took place in Finland on June 10-13, 2008 on the issue Same Day Admission: Design and Practice in Surgical Operations. More than forty health professionals from all over Europe applied to attend the study visit. Because of its great success, a second study tour has been organised in Finland on October 27-31, 2008.